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MonthAugust 2014

Ms May Myat Noe, winner of Miss Asia Pacific World Super Talent 2014, was dethroned for “bad behaviour”. May Myat Noe was crowned Miss Asia Pacific World in Seoul in May 2014. But, according to David Kim, director of media for the Seoul-based pageant, the 18-year-old was a disappointment from the start.

Following her success at the pageant, the Korean organisers said they were arranging singing and video deals for her. Sponsors paid for her plastic surgery, which came to the equivalent of £6,000.

The beauty queen took her mother with her to Seoul for what was supposed to be a 10-day visit, but that quickly turned into three months, incurring extra cost to the organisers, he said.

She “lied” and “never had respect for the main organisation, the national director, the manager, media or fans who made her the winner”, organisers said in a statement. When they told her that they would be stripping her of her title, she got back at them by absconding with the bejewelled Swarovski tiara – valued between £60,000 and £120,000.

I chanced upon this duo at Ximending, Taipei while I was on a facial aesthetics course in Taiwan. Local girl Tina told me that Ximending only comes alive after 10.00pm. It was indeed a rather happening place full of unpretentious eateries and glaring neon (LED?) lights advertising all kinds of services from massage to hairdressing salons. There are street artists and youths in flamboyant outfits eager to strike a pose even for strangers with cameras. This is where Ximending exudes a character of its own. There is a culture here that allows people to make themselves the centre of attraction with whatever abilities and resources they can muster. Brought here blindfolded, no one will mistake it for Clarke Quay.

Both of these street musicians sing very well. I don’t know what sort of permits are required in Taipei, but how I wish talented Singaporeans, even those without any disabilities, can have a similar platform to engage a drifting, impromptu audience. How I wish I had such a casual platform when I was younger – not because I had any intention of becoming a performer full-time, but at least I could have written another memorable chapter in my life.

It’s a lovely song, but I couldn’t find it on YouTube. The first question that came to mind was: “Who sang it?”. The answer, it’s an original song by a “nobody”. Yes, this young lady wrote the song herself. Again I wonder why busking in Singapore has to be be just another legalised and sanitised form of begging? Why can’t we allow our able-bodied youngsters to perform as they please? Because “concerned parents” want them protected and funneled through the “proper” channel? As the night wore on, my tired eyes began to blur, but the answers to the lack of local talent in the arts scene became clearer than ever.

Here’s the studio-recorded version of the above song. I hope she makes a name for herself one day. And if there are any Singaporean musicians like her. I hope they could go to Ximending.

Candy doesn’t have a perfect smile nor a perfect face. Even without close examination, many of us can suggest a few enhancements. Yet, many people find her very attractive in her first modelling assignment! These pictures show that you don’t need a perfectly proportioned face to look beautiful. There is no beauty formula out there. That’s what makes facial aesthetics an art rather than a science.

Beauty is not always subjective, but it certainly defies explanation. You can’t follow a formula. You somehow know what a beautiful face is and what it isn’t. A face can be imperfect and still be very attractive. Beauty often comes with happiness.

Beauty is not always subjective, but it certainly defies explanation. You can’t follow a formula. You somehow know what a beautiful face is and what it isn’t. A face can be imperfect and still be very attractive.

Beauty is not always subjective, but it certainly defies explanation. You can’t follow a formula. You somehow know what a beautiful face is and what it isn’t. A face can be imperfect and still be very attractive.